Great American Family parks inc. New company wants to buy parks

^I wouldn't mind seeing them buy up SFA as well as SFDL & some of the other parks that SF has neglected to put new rides in lately.

Sure things would start off slow but anything would be better for those parks than the way SF is currently treating them.

And another perfectly good thread goes sour with the SFDL and SFA whining ...

You know, you could probably just stop posting and everyone would still be able to know what you have to say - it's so predictable and repetitive, I'd bet even a newer member like Kyle would be able to fill in the blanks (nothin' against you kid, just using you as an exmaple).

I'll make the even more repetitive plea again: give it up already, your parks obviously make money for the company in their current state, otherwise things would change.

Hey, I didn't say a WORD about my homepark getting neglected... they brought it upon themselves!

2 Things: 1) I still don't get why people whine about Six Flags America when it does have a decent collection of coasters...

2) They're targeting parks up to a million in annual attendance... that means two MORE things:
a- They're after smaller family parks that could possibly be struggling, or looking to get out of the amusement business
b- They're going to start from scratch & build a park from the ground up.

So forget about Six Flags selling off their properties to them... most Six Flags parks have over 1,000,000 annual guests in attendance per park.

I just love to whine about SFDL though. I'm sick of all there rides and I probobly won't buy a season pass next year either. I can't use it at GL anymore anyway.

I would think that parks like Visionland, Silver Dollar City, Dollywood and Mt. Olympus would all fall into this company's "plan". I'm not suggesting the owners of those parks are looking to sell, I'm just pointing out that those kinds of parks and not the smaller SF/CF properties are the target.

I don't think Dolly Parton is going to sell. Half of her family works at Dollywood. But I agree Rob, those do seem to be the parks that may be of interest for someone to scoop up. However, those small parks are the gems of the industry right now if you ask me.

Their smallness is their charm.

They ARE the gems of the industry, along with places like Knoebels, Holiday World and Indiana Beach. I'm just thinking that it's parks along those lines that this company seems to want.

Does Dolly actually own any of Dollywood? I thought that the park was owned by the same people that own SDC and Celebration City? Or does she still have an interest, even if its not a controlling one?

She has to have some interest in it. Her personnel effects are on display all over the park. (Hmmm...that doesn't sound very family friendly." She also has a suite in the park exclusively for her when she visits.

I've read that she has input on the shows, costuming, new attractions, etc so she must be pretty involved.

Hopefully this company, whether legit or fake, they had better not touch Indiana Beach or Adventureland. I could see this joke of a company buying a good park and running it into the ground quickly.

I wouldn't say that.... at least not yet. We don't really know what this company plans on doing with the parks they purchase- they could easily take some secord-tier parks and turn them into something great. I think its a little too early to claim that they're going to ruin parks.

wahoo skipper: I wonder if she owns part of the park or if she has some kind of deal that allows them to use her name and likeness. She could be a part-owner or just a a high-paid figurehead. Or perhaps both?

$429,000 won't even pave a decent sized parking lot.

Reading the links in the news posting makes me think this whole thing sounds a bit shady.

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Rob Ascough said:

Does Dolly actually own any of Dollywood? I thought that the park was owned by the same people that own SDC and Celebration City? Or does she still have an interest, even if its not a controlling one?

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Well, Rob, the Dollywood website says,

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...Herschend Brothers soon welcomed another much-loved and recognizable East Tennessee tradition to the mix. Singer, songwriter and actress Dolly Parton, a Sevier County, Tennessee native and entertainment superstar, joined the Herschends in the theme park business in 1986. Not only would Dolly share her entertainment expertise and her love of the Great Smoky Mountains, she would also share her name as what had been Silver Dollar City opened in 1986 as Dollywood.

Since 1986, Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Enterprises have remained partners in Dollywood, Tennessee’s most-visited tourist attraction.

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*** Edited 10/9/2004 4:58:22 AM UTC by redman822***

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BATWING FAN SFA said:
^I wouldn't mind seeing them buy up SFA...some crap...some of the other parks that SF has neglected to put new rides in lately...more stupid crap...anything would be better for those parks than the way SF is currently treating them.

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I'll give you one thing, you are (annoyingly) persistant. Give it a freakin break, save the money you spend on SFA, and freakin move to somewhere there is a better park, for cryin out loud!

The horse died 2 years ago and yet you still beat it. Give it a rest, you have 8 amazing coasters close to you. The nearest theme park to me is 4 hours away, and you don't think its fair that you're park dosen't get anything new every year?

Do you even know when the last time Camden park(the closest park to me @ 3 hours) got a new coaster? Neither do I, but I can tell you that its been SBNO for years, and will likely never run again.

If you'd stop all the whining and post something of substance once in a while, you might not be "The Butt of most jokes at Coasterbuzz".

Jeesh!

Thanks redman822, that completely answers the question!

It would seem this new company is on the move. I saw this report come through on the Pink Sheets recently…

link

~ Todd *** Edited 12/8/2004 7:12:06 AM UTC by Odd Todd*** *** Edited 12/8/2004 2:03:35 PM UTC by Jeff***

I still hope that this company fails miserably. Not only do we not need another "park" company, but their target-sized parks are the ones that are better simply because they're not part of the corporate conglomerate. Does anyone really think that a company from Idaho can have any clue as to what to do with Conneaut other than pave over it, throw some money at it and hope it turns into Cedar Point? I like how that article can't even get the initials in the right order every time.

I wonder what kind of "Doctor" the company president is.

"GFAM is envisioned as a family-centric company with positive values and unique entertainment offerings. The acquisition of Wild Animal Safari will represent a significant step in fulfilling that vision. Our management team has a high level experience and enthusiasm to create a park environment that will continue to attract an increasing number of visitors, while expanding profitability." It's a lot of buzzwords with a few verbs and prepositions thrown in, but it's not saying a thing.

Anyone have any idea what numerous previous acquisitions this company (or a previous version of) was involved with as mentioned in the article?

I'm not sure about previous aquisitions, but last summer my kid wanted the 6flags waterslide thing they were selling at Walmart. We went to buy it and they said they sold all of them in a massive buyout to some guy in Idaho who was building a wholesome family entertainment complex...
those things weren't that big...

Wasn't Funtime the previous owners of Geauga Lake? (pre SF). I know I've heard of them before, just not 100% sure.

Also, I love how they consider WAS a "major theme park". Too funny!

Jomo: Yes, It was Funtime, then Premier if i'm not mistaken.